Angle-measurement devices for absolute measurement over a full circle of 360° are known from DE 100 38 296. The prior-art angle-measurement device includes an arrangement of several annular tracers on one face of a rotatable, disk-shaped carrier element. The tracers are provided with magnetically detectable periodic patterns that act in an axial direction. The periodicity of the patterns differs by one in accordance with the Vernier principle. In the vicinity of the carrier element are disposed magnetic detection heads that produce a periodic detection signal.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,764,767 describes an absolute angle-measurement device with two cylindrical tracers wherein the axially extended tracers are disposed in parallel on the surface of a cylinder and act in a radial direction.
The prior-art angle-measurement devices, however, have a drawback in that their space requirements are very large. As such, if several annular tracers are to be disposed on a face of an annular carrier element, the disk must have a larger diameter if several annular tracers are to be disposed simultaneously, and provide good resolution, on the front face of a carrier element. Furthermore, when several cylinder-shaped tracers are disposed on a cylindrical carrier element, the axial extension of the angle-measurement device is large.